Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 11 Send posts to fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu Send subscribe/unsubscribe commands to majordomo@nsmx.rutgers.edu Send comments, etc. to the listowner at owner-fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu FegMANIAX! Web Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/fegmaniax/ Archives are available at http://archive.uwp.edu/pub/music/lists/fegmaniax/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: ------- ------- Re: Cold Turkey Re: Devil's Coachman Re: Likes/Dislikes r&b crap Luminous Rose and Lady Waters Electric, Acoustic, eclectic Newbie opens a can o' worms (or bees) UK Fegs: 12 Bar tonite/next week Re: funny stuff a-goin on likes/dislikes A&M promos luminous rose/eye in-store crap 26th January fegMANIA!! RE: funny stuff a-goin on Re: luminous rose/eye cd stuff+corrections Re: UK Fegs: 12 Bar tonite/next week fwd: A&M reissues? A&M reissues? A&M promos A&M reissues? A&M reissues? spare vinyl, and such Following in ones own footsteps. introduce me!! Luminous Hooded Eye ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Jan 1996 23:23:25 -0500 (EST) From: Terry Marks Subject: Re: Cold Turkey On Thu, 18 Jan 1996, Truman Peyote wrote: > eh....."Cold Turkey" indistinct? I always found it rather harrowing, to say > the least, and quite memorable in the Lennon original. The cover done under > the Soft Boys' aegis really isn't that good, but you ought to hear Lenny > Kravitz's before you start complaining :). It's not *just* that it's a horrible song, it's that it's a *horrible* song and they had at least 15 other good songs that never made it onto any album that they could've used. (I think that Alien or Smoothie would've sounded great in there) > I always skip "Luminous Rose" myself, but I wouldn't say it's the worst our > boy has ever done. Have you listened to "Devil's Coachman" lately? Or the > entire debacle known as "Perspex Island"? Blearrrrrgh! I think that The Devil's Coachman is a great song. I like the orchestral, waltzish effect, and the sort of off-rhyming of the verses. Perpex Island: Lysander is a great song Oceanside, If you go Away, She Doesn't Exist, and Vegetation and Dimes are decent songs. Child of the Universe is bad to great, depending on how weird you want... Terry ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Jan 96 21:15 PST From: upstart@mindlink.bc.ca (Renee Lynn) Subject: Re: Devil's Coachman >I think that The Devil's Coachman is a great song. >I like the orchestral, waltzish effect, and the sort of off-rhyming of >the verses. I like *any* song where Robyn says "ovaries" . Just my .02 BCNGU RLT ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 00:52:46 -0500 (EST) From: freckle baby Subject: Re: Likes/Dislikes > Here's the question- why do so many of you disrespect Respect? Perhaps it's > a sign of my age, but I thought it was a leap forward for Robyn. I enjoy the > funny stuff as much as anyone, but Respect was full of lyrics that for once > seemed to come from the heart ("Railway Shoes," "...Gates of Wisdom"). But > hey, what do I know? Respect was my first Robyn album and as such will always hold a special place in my heart. It's not currently my favorite, but I do think it has some real masterpieces in it--Driving Aloud (the song I heard which made me want the album,) The Moon Inside, and When I Was Dead. The Moon Inside has the perfect lyrics, and when I hear the guitars and keyboards combined, or RH&E singing that dissonant "Aaaahhh" right before the chorus and at the middle of the verses, I feel almost as if I can actually *see* the music. It's quite a transcendental experience. I see a collage of shimmering gold, blue, and white, on a blood-red background, from which a gothic-looking woman arrives, complete with the pumpkin head bit and the six-inch-grin, and suddenly I *am* that woman, and I have control over everything. I don't know if this makes sense to any of you out there, but I hope someone has had a similar experience with at least one Robyn song and can validate mine. When I was Dead--the sham (I think that's what that Egyptian-sounding horn is called--?) is unique and masterfully intertwines with the acoustic guitar. In addition, I have a musical orgasm every time I hear RH&E's vocals during the chorus, especially at the end, when they sing "when I was dead, when I was dead, when I was dead," over and over in close harmony. You all already know what I think about driving aloud, unless you forgot. I hope this makes some sense to at least some of you. Granted, Respect has its pitfalls, including, in my opinion, the music for "Serpent..." but I think its gems far outweigh these. Take another listen and reconsider--try visualizing. Beth ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 09:23:07 -0600 From: AAC708@Waldo.Angelo.Edu (johnny marr) Subject: r&b crap freckle baby, so sorry to offend you, my going off on ALL r&b music came from my loathing of whitney houston.... not r&b.. perhaps I should subscribe to a "i hate whitney houston thing" insteadof a "i like robyn hitchcock thing". eric *********************** GOTTA LET THIS HEN OUT!!! ************************ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 00:45:10 EST From: Daniel Ginsberg Subject: Luminous Rose and Lady Waters What I like about Luminous Rose past the lyrics (which as others have mentioned are really well crafted) is the fact that the instrumentation and pace convey the feeling of drifting dead far under water; and while the prospects of such drifitng do little for me, I love the way that the lyrics and music support one another. Re LWATHO, if it is based on plague lore, then my money would have it from some time long long after the plague. It has been a good while since i read up on the role of Death and disease during plaguetime, but I'd be *really* surpried if the disease OR the devil would have been portrayed as they are in that song. Sounds to my ears like a contemporary take on it allOChe way. dan ------------------------------ From: Algae99@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 00:54:46 -0500 Subject: Electric, Acoustic, eclectic I find "The Devil's Coachman" to be a lovely song, even better when done acoustically. If the battle does flare up, put me up with the acoustic folks. I think Robyn would be on our side-and that is like having the Prussian army on one's side. If a song can also be considered a "Dirge", it is probably a bit trying. This fits "Luminous Rose". JMI ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 02:03:54 -0600 From: tcain1@midwest.net (Timothy G Cain) Subject: Newbie opens a can o' worms (or bees) Susan (as Truman Peyote) wrote: >>Or the entire debacle known as "Perspex Island"? Blearrrrrgh!<< ...raising my blood pressure to heights not seen since my sole in-person encounter with RH (at an in-store in 1986 -- details in a sec) ... but then wrote: >>...In fact, I would venture to place Eye in a category with albums like >>Blood on the Tracks and Plastic Ono Band,...< ...upon which my blood pressure dropped, and I yipped a hearty "Yes-in-gol-darned-deedee!" How we could be in such agreement on EYE and how I could be so off from what appears to be popular opinion on PERSPEX ISLAND baffles me, but me, I LOVE PI's "pop" songs ("Ultra Unbelievable Love" is a perfect power pop track except that it fades too soon). The album's so good it makes me forget (for a few minutes, anyway) about how much Mikey Stipe annoys me. I've always considered EYE and IODOT as companion albums -- a little dark, maybe late-night albums. Their pure raw emotion (as with BLOOD ON THE TRACKS and PLASTIC ONO BAND -- wonderful comparisons, to which I'd add THERE'S A RIOT GOING ON and PRETTY LITTLE LONELY by Michael Petak, my favorite 1995 CD) make them a joy to listen to. Then again, some people say I get my kicks out of others' misery. I know this is long, but it ends soon: The in-store. I waited in line with my proudest RH possession, a hard-to-find import of Groovy Decay. He took a gray marker, scratched out his eyes and mouth, wrote CRAP! in letters three inches high across the cover, and practically tossed it back at me. I was so pissed, I stomped out of the store (missing an acoustic set), and had to be dragged to the concert that night by my friend. Fortunately. That night, we heard early versions of "Ted Woody and Junior," "Lady Waters" and "Raymond Chandler Evening." "RCE" was SO MUCH BETTER than anything I've heard since, it almost makes me cry. I'll leave you all alone now. --TC tcain1@midwest.net "Son, it's your mother. She's lost her toe." "Have you looked behind the refrigerator?" -- Michael O'Donoghue ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 08:10:04 +0000 From: andyh@pavilion.co.uk (Andy Holyer) Subject: UK Fegs: 12 Bar tonite/next week Apologies to all you 'merkins about the irrelivence of this posting. The wife and I will be at the 12 bar for tonight's gig and next week's. If there's any UK Fegs going to be there, come over and say hello. For those of you who don't know me by sight, I'm early 30's, tall, greying hair - and I wear an earring in the shape of an "&" sign. CU there. -&. Andy Holyer, London, UK ------------------------------ From: Hedblade@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 04:37:14 -0500 Subject: Re: funny stuff a-goin on >I would >venture to place Eye in a category with albums like Blood on >the Tracks and >Plastic Ono Band, in the sense that it is so raw, spare, and >"take-no-prisoners" that at times it is difficult to listen to. Agreed! You've hit the nail on the head. I certainly wasn't trying to take anything away from Eye (or any other album or song- all of those sited as examples are ALSO favorites) in my defence of Respect. I was simply standing up for an album I find is a quality body of work. I have to disagree that it is a "Quantum leap BACKWARD from Eye;" I just see it as a different direction void of the confines of forward/backward/sideways movement. I guess the point was, and I don't think anyone will disagree with this, that Respect was something a bit DIFFERENT than other releases from RH&E. I appreciate the boys trying something new- successful or not. I used the songs listed to illustrate examples of what I think is "stock" Robyn material. That is to say, humorus observations about how weird humans are. He returns to this again and again, and is a central part of his style and why we all love him! But I simply thought Respect showed a different side, and I enjoyed the new perspective. I wouldn't call myself a fan of either the acoustic stuff or the electric stuff- I LIKE IT ALL. Sorry if I offended you, Susan Sincerely, Hedblade ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 09:31:03 -0600 From: AAC708@Waldo.Angelo.Edu (johnny marr) Subject: likes/dislikes fegs Well you know i dont like "Waiting to exhale" but I reckon that Devil's Coachman and (to the grave)LUMINOUS ROSE are fabulous songs. Also, Serpent... is a gem. Freeze takes a getting used to but i like it. I think, don't throw all your rocks at once, Cathedral is my favourite non-smiths song............ eric ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 07:56:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: A&M promos *****chris--sorry for sending this to you three times***** I have a "Madonna of the Wasps" promo cassette single with a great tune on the B-side called "The Ruling Class", in which Robyn rhymes "ease your own shorts off" with "Elizabeth Schwarzkof". Has anyone got this in CD or Vinyl form? Very few people seem to know about this tune, but I'd rank it among his best from that era. Anyone have a live performance of this tune? -russ. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 08:04:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: luminous rose/eye > i wonder if robyn's ever done a guitar or piano version? if he has done other versions they'll surely all be released by Rhino as bonus tracks when they get around to reissuing GoF. I just exchanged my old Eye for a new one, and I have to say the three bonus tracks may highlight some marginally interesting arrangement alternatives, but they also showcase Robyn's voice and guitar playing at its worst. -russ. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 08:20:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: in-store crap >I know this is long, but it ends soon: The in-store. I waited in line with >my proudest RH possession, a hard-to-find import of Groovy Decay. He took a >gray marker, scratched out his eyes and mouth, wrote CRAP! in letters three >inches high across the cover, and practically tossed it back at me. musta caught him on a bad day--I had him sign my hard-to-find import white vinyl Groovy Decay at an in-store on the Queen Elvis tour and all he did was sign it. (he was probably THINKING "crap", though) -russ. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 17:18:31 +0000 (GMT) From: M R Godwin Subject: 26th January fegMANIA!! Well, I tried to buy tickets yesterday but the gig had SOLD OUT. Has anyone got a couple to spare? Maybe one of your friends in the payroll dept got you six tickets because he knew you were a fan, but you actually only wanted four and were afraid to hurt his feelings by not paying for them, so you could sell me the other two... Otherwise I'll see you next time - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ From: "Winkworth, Nick SJ" Subject: RE: funny stuff a-goin on Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 10:22:00 PST On: Thu, 18 Jan 96 Susan railed: >Respect is a quantum leap BACKWARD from Eye... ... Huh? "Eye" is one our boys' LEAST listenable outings IMHO. I'll take Respect, or GOF over Eye anyday. Also, while I'm here, l'd like to put in a positive word for a couple of Unca' Bobby's other maligned works.. 1) Who is it keeps knocking Perspex Island? I've always thought of RH as the potential pop idol kept from stardom only by a strange genetic predisposition to weirdness. PI is the proof. There are some great songs here (granted, the production could be a little more sympathetic, but who's perfect?). This is one disc frequently to be found on _my_ compact turntable. 2) For everyone who is so quick to dismiss Wafflehead, I say listen again. Yes, this is a very dark and disturbing glimpse into the places in our minds we might rather not think about--but Robyn has never been afraid of plumbing his subconscious for ideas. Sometimes the best way to conquer demons is to drag them out and expose them to the light. If it makes you uncomfortable, maybe it's because you subconsciously recognize a fear or desire in yourself. --Now _that's_ powerful songwriting! >Could it possibly be the battle of the acoustic RH fans (ME! ME!) vs. the >electric RH fanciers rearing its ugly, asparagus flavored head once again? A battle? No. Let's settle this the honorable way... a duel!! Choose your weapon. What is it to be? Prawn coctails at dawn? How about Yarmouth beach, Isle of Wight. You choose the date. I'll have my people contact your people--and no sneaky plugging-in behind my back, OK? -Nick __________________________________________________ "Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would you have appeared to them to be otherwise" -Lewis Carroll ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jan 1996 10:35:50 -0800 From: "Mark Gloster" Subject: Re: luminous rose/eye Reply to: RE>luminous rose/eye >I just exchanged my old Eye for a new one...-russ I hope you are seeing better now. We have discussed other artists here in the past. One of my faves just came out with a new album, and my first impression is one of disappointment. The artist is Stan Ridgway, and the album is called _Black Diamond_ (it's not even about skiing- go figure). It is his effort to showcase his writing skills with a minimal "rootsy" mostly acoustic production value. I guess it's his attempt to do an "Eye". His new songs just don't seem that good, though. I felt a little that way after he came out with _Mosquitoes_, but I learned to love it greatly much later- so we'll see. Everybody should give nice things to Edward of Sim, so he'll trade some of his original tapes with you. I really have enjoyed the tape I have of his, and I really need to listen to it again to fix my need for hearing some fresh originals. His tunes sound a little Beatly, but weird enough for somebody like me to appreciate. He really should grab up Morris before he gets himself into trouble with those idle hands, though. FYI my album is going through another minor delay, but I'll let you know. Love and toast, -Mark In case you were wondering: Apple is not in flames, but a few of our employees are running around acting like their hair is. I hope they don't trigger the sprinklers before my project gets out. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 22:45:57 -0800 (PST) From: Miss Teen Reclamation USA Subject: cd stuff+corrections in a previous repsonse, woj asked if there was a cd5 promo of ballon man. i was incorrect in stating mine was a promo, unpon forth eye-opening investigation i do not have a cd5 promo, just a regular cd5 single. i am sorry for any consternation i have caused. in alt.music.... there was a post regarding ALL cd3 single ever produced. i cannot vouch for its accuracy, but i can vouch for the existance of the following cd3... Hitchcock, Robyn & the Egyptia A&M CC31005 (1988) Baloon Man A Globe of Frogs (electric) The Ghost Ship if anyone want the whole article i can send it to them, it is quite usless to post such things to the list, as there is four line of robyn content out of 100,000 lines total. over, .chris ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 16:33:02 -0600 (CST) From: "Jeffrey with 2 f's Jeffrey" Subject: Re: UK Fegs: 12 Bar tonite/next week On Fri, 19 Jan 1996, Andy Holyer wrote: > Apologies to all you 'merkins about the irrelivence of this posting. Hey, Andy--you *do* know what a "merkin" is, no? I'll let you all savor the joy of finding the answer in a dictionary.... Not seeing the trees for the forest, --Jeff Jeffrey Norman "I feel that all movies should have University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee things that happen in them." Dept. of English & Comp. Lit. e-mail: jenor@csd.uwm.edu --TV's Frank ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 11:23:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: fwd: A&M reissues? ======== Original Message ======== I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M Date: 19-Jan-1996 01:19pm EST From: Jeffrey A. Pearce (Contractor) PEARCEJA Dept: POPR (UTC) Tel No: 54171 TO: Remote MILNET Mail ( _DDN[fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu] ) Subject: A&M reissues? russ wrote: >if he has done other versions they'll surely all be released by Rhino as >bonus tracks when they get around to reissuing GoF. Does this mean that Rhino is reissuing the A&M albums as well??? I hadn't heard this before. Jeff ======== Fwd by: Russ Reynolds ======== Sorry...there should've been an "if" instead of that "when" and probably a ;) in there somewhere. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 12:59:03 -0600 From: mbrage@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu (Michael Brage) Subject: A&M promos Russ wrote: >I have a "Madonna of the Wasps" promo cassette single with a great tune on >the B-side called "The Ruling Class", in which Robyn rhymes "ease your own >shorts off" with "Elizabeth Schwarzkof". > >Has anyone got this in CD or Vinyl form? Very few people seem to know about >this tune, but I'd rank it among his best from that era. Anyone have a live >performance of this tune? Yes, I have the 7 inch vinyl. I found it in Seattle when I lived there. Since then, I found a similar version on the Queen Elvis Demo tape. Michael ------------------------------ From: pearceja@mailgw.wl.wpafb.af.mil Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 13:28:46 -0500 Subject: A&M reissues? I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M Date: 19-Jan-1996 01:19pm EST From: Jeffrey A. Pearce (Contractor) PEARCEJA Dept: POPR (UTC) Tel No: 54171 TO: Remote MILNET Mail ( _DDN[fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu] ) Subject: A&M reissues? russ wrote: >if he has done other versions they'll surely all be released by Rhino as >bonus tracks when they get around to reissuing GoF. Does this mean that Rhino is reissuing the A&M albums as well??? I hadn't heard this before. Jeff ------------------------------ From: SPIFFINGNY@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 13:28:42 -0500 Subject: spare vinyl, and such OK, here it is, a list of some spare Robyn material I have lying about, which I am looking to trade for the America 7", the Nightride to Trinidad 12" and the Heaven flexi from Spain's Ruta 66 magazine. Anyone out there not need any of those pieces? Well, I'm open to suggestions anyway... the list the bells of Rhymney 12" DONG 8, midnight music UK Brenda's Iron Sledge 12" DONG 17, midnight music, UK "if you were a priest" b/w "somewhere apart" US promo Relativity Madonna of the Wasps 12" US promo purple vinyl Balloon Man 12" US promo green vinyl Flesh Number One 12" US promo blue vinyl 2 copies Heaven 12" DONG 12, midnight music UK The Man Who Invented Himself 7" signed "Oh Joey, I don't know about you. Harmony, Robyn" Nigel and the Crosses 7" (Bucketful of Brains freebie) A&M Various Artists sampler w/ "So You Think You're In Love" and "Watch Your Intelligence" Catalog Reissue Sampler cassette (Rhino reissue program) sealed Catalog Sampler cd 20 track US promo Spectre cd US promo There's probably more, I just can't seem to find it. Please send on trade offers, I still need one or two pieces after those listed above. Lanegan Crow c/o SpiFFinG ------------------------------ From: LORDK@FLP.LIB.PA.US Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 13:34:08 -0500 (EST) CC: LORDK@FLP.LIB.PA.US Subject: Following in ones own footsteps. Im going to go out on a limb here, and I rely on one of you to saw it off Im over-interperting. Right now people are talking about the albums, and who likes what and why-- and in the midst of that someone mentioned how Eye relates to IODOT. Well, Im afraid mentioning that was like giving me a gun and asking me not to shoot myself in the foot. Because I have this theory... I think that Hitchcocks non soft Boys work can be seen as a pattern which gets retraced: Black Snake Diamond Role=Globe of Frogs Groovy D(whatever)=Queen Elvis IODOT=Eye Fegmania=Perspect Island Element of Light=Respect Which means Shadowcat(or whatever) will be on the same vibe as BSDR and GoF. Yeah I know Invisable Hitchcock and You and Oblivion dont exactly fit, but--dont they sorta have the same feel? Anyway, for you acoustic buffs, that means another pure acoustic Cd in about 2 years. Its amazing the patterns the human imagination can impose on chaos. Or is there an inherent order in choas? And how to tell which is which? Just for the record, my least favorite album is Queen Elvis, the only three cuts I like on it, no, make that 4, are Maddonna, Swirling, Viens of the Queen and One Long Pair of Eyes. And I really love those. theres loads of Hitchcock stuff I dont much listen to--but when he hits a certain frequency, something inside of me goes kerfluey, and its the truest, rightest stuff on this planet. I dont care how many fouls he gets, not as long as he keeps hitting home runs. And as I see it, songs like Perspecs Island andS Serpent are home runs( thou not Luminious Rose. He whines on Luminious Rose. I usually hit people who whine.) But no more Stipe harmoneys,--Buck guitar yes, Stipe harmonies no no no no no no no no. What I really want to know, is what a RH patter-song sounds like-- "I am the very model of a... That would be fun. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Jan 1996 11:30:14 -0500 From: jlg@198.4.75.52 (Jay) Subject: introduce me!! Hello fegmaniax. My name is thomeas, and I live in New York City. I am a new subscriber to this digest. Robyn is one of my fav musicians, and people. He has been important to me since I was about 13 years old. I am now 19 years old, and am a college student. I have seen Robyn three times in NYC. I saw him at the Ritz during the respect tour, at the Bottom Line after You And Oblivian, and most recently at the Mercury Lounge (where I shook his hand). I hope to learn more about Robyn from the people in this digest, and I think that I may have some things to offer to everyone here as well. ------------------------------ From: ZeroSummer@aol.com Date: Sat, 20 Jan 1996 11:53:12 -0500 Subject: Luminous Hooded Eye Okay, I'll join this particular fray, because of a mildly ironic experience. 1) In a literature reading circle I was in some years ago (in a meeting held at my house, no less, wherein I cooked baked ziti and meatballs), I decided mid-meeting to recite a bit o' Robyn. Because Luminous Rose is on my all-time Hitchcock Top 10, I knew the lyrics quite well (the lyrics make the song), so that got quoted for my artsy friends. And because I had the album jacket for Element of Light with me, I also read Lady Waters for reasons less apparent, although I do like it. But Luminous Rose is and will remain one of my favorites. I'll stand up for it. 2) Just wanted to get one more plug in for Eye while it's up for discussion. It's still my favorite (aside from Underwater Moonlight), and as long as we're tossing classic album names around, then Eye is definitely Robyn's Sister Lovers. =) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest.